Figure it Out For Yourself

Then out of the darkness, beyond the feeble light, four pairs of red sparks suddenly appeared, spaced about a foot apart and in a semicircle before me. Four now, not one.

I yelled at them: my voice harsh and off-key, but they didn't move. I grabbed a handful of stones and threw them. The red eyes vanished, but reappeared almost immediately, a little closer, if anything. I yelled again.

'Vic!'

I started up.

Had I imagined that faint call, somewhere in the darkness? I raised my voice and let out a yell that echoed like a thunder-clap down the tunnel.

'Vic! Where are you?'

'Here! Down the tunnel!'

I was so excited I forgot the rats. I was yelling now like a madman, and my yells changed to a yelp as a furry brown body suddenly streaked into the light and teeth snapped with a click into the folds of the handkerchief round my neck.

I felt the weight of its body on my chest, and smelt the dirt in its fur. Its wet nose was thrust under my chin as its teeth tried to cut through the folds of the handkerchief to get at my throat.

I nearly went crazy. Grabbing the sleek, horribly fat body, I tore it away from my throat. I felt it twist in my hand. The loathsome pointed head whipped round and razor-like teeth fastened into my wrist. In a kind of frenzy I dug my fingers into the fur, bent its back sideways, hearing its shrill squeal. The teeth came out of my wrist. Before it could strike again, I snapped its spine, feeling the bone go like a dry stick between my fingers. Shuddering with horror I threw the brute away from me.

'Vic!'

'Here!'

My voice croaked.

At the far end of the tunnel I saw a tiny pin-point of light.

'I'm coming.' Paula's voice: the sweetest sound I've ever heard.

'Down here. Mind how you come. There're rats.'

'I'm coming.'

The light moved steadily towards me, growing brighter. A minute or so later Paula dropped on her knees beside me, and caught hold of my hands.

'Oh, Vic!'

I drew in a deep, shuddering breath and tried to grin at her, but my face felt frozen.

'Paula! Jeepers! Am I glad to see you! How did you get here?'

Her hand touched my face.

'It'll wait. Are you hurt?'

I raised my hand. Blood welled from my wrist. If I hadn't had the handkerchief round my throat the brute would have nailed me.

'It's all right. A rat took a fancy to me.'

She took off her white silk scarf and tied it tightly round the wound.

'Really a rat?'

'Yeah. I killed it. It's behind you.'

She looked quickly over her shoulder. The beam of her torch fell on the brute. She caught her breath in a stifled scream.

'Uuugh! Are there any more like that?'

'One or two. He was particularly persistent. Do you wonder I sounded scared?'

She went closer and peered at the rat, then drew away with a shudder.

'It's enormous. Let's get out of here.'

'I'm chained to the wall. Barratt's idea of getting even.'

While she examined the chain, I told her briefly what had happened.

'I have a gun, Vic. Do you think you could shoot up one of these links?'

'We can try. Here, give it to me, and get out of the way. The slug may ricochet.'

She put a .25 into my hand and went a little way down the tunnel. The third slug cut the link. The noise of the shooting deafened me.

Slowly and painfully I crawled to my feet. She came back and supported me.

'I'll be all right in a moment. I'm stiff, that's all.' I began to hobble up and down, restoring my circulation. 'You haven't told me how you got here. How did you know I was down here?'

'A woman phoned. She wouldn't say who she was. "If you want to save Malloy, you'd better hurry," she said. "They've taken him to the Monte Verde Mine." She hung up before I could ask her who she was or how she knew. I just grabbed a torch and a gun and drove like mad to the mine.' Paula shook her head ruefully. 'I ought to have got Mifflin. I really lost my head, Vic. I don't know what I was thinking about.'

'That's all right You're here and I'm free, so what does it matter?'

'But it does. I've been wandering about in this awful place for hours. If I hadn't heard you yell, I was going to yell myself. You don't know what it's like down here. Every tunnel looks alike.'

'I'll get you out. Come on, let's try.^'

'What's that?'

She was peering at the heap of rags and bones.

'Lute Ferris,' I said, and moved stiffly over to the rags. I flashed my torch on them. Even the skull had been picked clean. In the centre of the forehead was a small hole. 'So they shot him. Now, I wonder why.' I examined what was left of his clothes, and discovered a leather wallet. Inside, was a car's registration tag made out to Lute Ferris, two five-dollar bills and a snapshot of a girl I recognized as Mrs. Ferris. I put the wallet back where I had found it and stood up.

'We'll have to bring Mifflin down here.'

Paula was staring at the heap of bones.

'Did the rats do that?' she asked in a low, horrified voice.

'Well, something did. Come on. Let's go.'

She looked a little fearfully into the darkness.

'You don't think they'll come after us, do you, Vic?'

'No. They won't bother us. Come on.'